Get the right CCW weapon

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Darren Roberts

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There is alot of excitment about small frame large caliber sidearms that are being manufactured and sold with the ever expanding CCW market as the prime target. While these weapons are easy to conceal, will they do the job intended when you purchase them.

When considering a CCW weapon you have to choose the best weapon FOR YOU. You will want to test fire various weapons and compare by size (barrel length), weight and caliber. A simple method for equal comparison is listed below.

These drills are designed for standard target at 20'.

1. Clear and fire - what is the time it takes you to clear your weapon from its usual concealment spot and fire a shot on target. It is important to draw your weapon from where you will most likely be carrying it. The likelyhood of having your weapon in your hand at a time of attack is very small.

2. accuracy - Most individuals at the begginer and novice stage of experience do not realize how inaccurate small framed weapons are.
To test accuracy - After drawing and getting your first hit on target, continue to fire and count how many rounds are placed on target in three (3) seconds. Small frame, short barrel weapons will fall short in this catagory.

3. Knock down power - The majority of situations where an individual will be using a sidearm as primary defense is in an area less than 30ft from you to an assailant. This distance only allows for 1 to 2 shots from even experienced shooters. If you take your score from time to target and accuracy charting you will find that it usually translates to maybe 1 shot on target before your assailant reaches you. That is if you can even get your gun cleared. So while the pink .22 and .32 handguns are "adorable" they simply do not have the One Shot Stop factor needed in a real life and death situation. Add to that the extreme recoil of smaller framed weapons the chances of getting off a second accurate shot is near immposible. The first shot has to count.

In short you need a weapon that you can clear the fastest, and fire the most accurate with the most possible amount of damage being inflicted with the fewest shots.

For me I discovered that a large frame, 4.5 - 4.9inch BBL, .40 cal is ideal with 7 shots on target in 3 seconds.

One more note...If you are not an experienced shooter who has pratice at rapid draw and target acquisition, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAW A WEAPON IF YOU ARE WITHIN 30ft OF YOUR ATTACKER! The average human can travel that distance in 1.5 seconds. that is faster than most individuals can clear a weapon and fire one unsighted shot.
 
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though this may sound like a joke or whatever, I am asking this question very seriously. Besides having a large gun to try and conceal, are there any sort of legal issues with ccw something like a Ruger Alaskan in 454 Casull or 480 Ruger? I ask because I shoot it all the time, am very confident and accurate with it. It definitely has the stopping power but how would a jury look on someone carrying such a piece for ccw?
 
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAW A WEAPON IF YOU ARE WITHIN 30ft OF YOUR ATTACKER! The average human can travel that distance in 1.5 seconds. that is faster than most individuals can clear a weapon and fire one unsighted shot.
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Not buying this one. It's bogus. You are forgetting reaction time here.

Carrying concealed gives you the element of surprise. Most bandits don't expect you to be carrying. Once they see you move, it takes time to take in the ideal you are drawing your pistol/revolver, giving you plenty of time.

This can easily be proved. Go to the range with a friend. Have your friend draw and point at his target. Tell him, when he sees you start to draw, to fire at the target. More then likely you can get your shot off before your friend even though he has the drop on his target.

You can really increase your chances if you get him to talking, then draw.

Try it, you'll be surprised.

This is another reason I pocket carry, most of the time I walk around with my hand in my pocket. It doesnt take me near 1.5 seconds to get a shot off and I'm old and slow.

PS: I just went out and checked. No practice session, I just went out and fired one round from the pocket. Using "Competition Electronics" Pocket Pro, I got the first round off in .47 seconds. Hitting just outside the "A" ring on the ISPC target.

Combat shooting has a lot to do with understanding the mind.
 
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Kraigwy - I understand your point. But we are talking about the average lay person without specialized training for these scenarios. Even with experience and training alot of instructors, private and professional, will still advise not to draw your weapon. You stand to much of a chance of having your weapon taken away and used against you before you can effectively engage your target at that distance.
As far as talking to or distracting your assailant, it should be assumed you are drawing to shoot, not to intimidate.
 
Big Yac - you would have to check your State laws for that answer. As far as I know there are no restrictions on caliber size. Some states may restrict load capacity though.
 
I'm talking about the "average" person, I'm also talking about the "average" bandit.

Like I said, take a friend to the range and try it. You'd be surprised about how long it takes your opponent to react, even if he has the drop on the target.

By the way, I'm not a pistol shooter, never was. I did do farily well with a rifle though.
 
You stand to much of a chance of having your weapon taken away and used against you before you can effectively engage your target at that distance.
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This just gets better and better. :rolleyes:
Knock down power...So while the pink .22 and .32 handguns are "adorable" they simply do not have the One Shot Stop factor needed in a real life and death situation.
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Knock down power is a myth. If it doesn't knock you down from firing it, it's not going to knock the recipient down either.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAW A WEAPON IF YOU ARE WITHIN 30ft OF YOUR ATTACKER! The average human can travel that distance in 1.5 seconds.
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Okay, that's three Urban Myths in one thread.
 
If I'm not mistaken, most self defense situations are within 30 feet. If the above is true, why do we bother to carry?
 
Assumption is the mother of what? Most attackers are already in an advancing mode by the time the average person would think there is a need to draw a weapon. And the prudent person would not assume their attacker does not have the ability or knowledge to overtake you.

This was not intended as an argument. Just like everything else there is a matter of opinion.
If you want to tell inexperienced shooters to go ahead and try to draw on an advancing attacker at that range go ahead.

IN MY OPINION, it would be better to attempt to evade the initial attack, reposition with barrier in between or increase distance, then draw a weapon.

You have to remember, bad guys have practice at being bad. They know people carry, they know how to "shock and awe", they may even have extensive hand to hand combat training as well. Is it worth the risk to be wrong?
 
I have been teaching "to draw and shoot" if they got the drop on you for a long time. (became a LE firearms instructor in '76 or 78, and have taught this, mostly to the supprise of the student because it does work.

I only ask people to try it. Go to a range and try with a friend. All its gonna cost you is the price of a couple rounds.

If as you say, the bandit is charging anyway, you best draw and at least try to survive. Not attempting to fight back is giving up. Maybe its the old paratrooper in me. NEVER GIVE UP.

You can try and draw and maybe win, or you can just give up and die. Suit your self.
 
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAW A WEAPON IF YOU ARE WITHIN 30ft OF YOUR ATTACKER!
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I think this is bad advice.

Lots of examples of people drawing and succesfully using their CCW even while under attack.

Recent example of guy in gas station who is getting whomped on, reaches into his car, retrieves his gun and shoots his attacker. Not the best practice to leave your gun in your car, but ths guy did it all the same.

Recent example of a woman attacked in her car, while struggling with her attacker she manages to get her gun, she can't bring it to bear on her attacker, but she fires it, shattering her car window and the attacker breaks off the atttack and flees. I'm sure some will say that if she had better situational awareness and trained more with her firearm she would have been able to deploy it before the attacker was literally on top of her - but all the same, while the results weren't perfect, she used her gun to stop an assault.
 
Most shootings not only happen within seven yards most happen within two yards.

Darren Roberts said:
Most individuals at the begginer and novice stage of experience do not realize...
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No offense Darren, but your posts give me the impression that you are a beginner at the novice stage.
 
Obviously there are situations where there is no choice but to try. My statements are not based on a single scenario.

The following is based on attacks on trained LEOs

In a broad-based study by Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University-Mankato. The researchers selected 40 incidents, involving 43 offenders (13 of them admitted gangbangers-drug traffickers) and 50 officers.

Nearly 40% of the offenders had some type of formal firearms training, primarily from the military. More than 80% "regularly practiced with handguns, averaging 23 practice sessions a year. Victim officers in the study averaged just 14 hours of sidearm training and 2.5 qualifications per year

More often than the officers they attacked, offenders delivered at least some rounds on target in their encounters. Nearly 70% of assailants were successful in that regard with handguns, compared to about 40% of the victim officers.

This is just an example of underestimating "the average bad guy".

If you research this you will see that the majority of advise is to gain distance. Just because you have a gun and even formal training does not always give you the advantage.
 
Interesting that the concealability of a firearm is not a criteria to be considered.

A valid argument can certainly be made that a lot of people are buying handguns that they will have difficulty shooting accurately. That has been true at least as long as light J-frames have been on the market, and the trend does seem to be increasing. There are a lot of small light handguns on the market which are, indeed, challenging to shoot well, and it is reasonable to question whether they are a good choice for a first pistol. But there is a lot of overstatement in the OP, IMO.
 
majority of advise is to gain distance
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OK I can buy that, if I knew I was going to be in a confrontation, I'd be on the other side of the country.

However, if within thirty feet and confronted, I'm not giving up.
 
LOL you people are funny. Hope no one dies from thinking all they have to do is pull a gun in any situation. Having a gun and knowing when and how to use it are two seperate things. If you sit here and argue what I have said it only shows you are closed minded to perfect scenarios. Not real life situations.

There is more than one school of thought on this subject, my opinion is just one. So I will take the insults and sarcastic replys that are common on forums such as these. But I would ask that you look at the complete statistics on handgun defense. Not just accounts that only back your side.
 
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